World Travelling

     The air was heavy and humid as the searing heat of the sun beat down upon the damp soil and jungle, causing the moisture to evaporate in misty clouds of steam. There was a tension in the air, and few of the birds sang. Amidst this, a rippling shimmer appeared. To the casual onlooker it may have been just heat shimmer, but it was more than that. The shimmering increased and began to flow with rainbow colours. The shape of a young boy appeared indistinctly through it, but was becoming more solid all the time. He became completely solid, and stepped forward as the shimmering fusion of colours disappeared.
 Michael looked around him in wonder at this alien landscape and climate. He had read story books that told of great jungles, but he had thought them mere tales for entertainment. But who is to say what may be tales somewhere, are not true elsewhere?
"Analysis of local eco-system suggests that the planet’s axis is not tilted to such a degree as normal. Differences in atmosphere also detected. The end result is that the planet here has a tropical climate over much of its surface, hence the nice weather," Mirt declared, having reverted back to his normal form.
"So somewhere really nice, huh?" said Michael, picking a banana from a tree.
"Not necessarily. Sensors detect an impending thunderstorm. I believe it would be a good idea to find shelter - although not under a tree, please note," said Mirt. Michael endeavoured to discover whether the banana was edible, and his sample of the skin led him to believe it was not.
"Also," Mirt continued, "in such conditions snakes, insects and other undesirable creatures may thrive. A prime example of this would be that feline, which would appear to possibly be related to the tiger and leopard, standing over there." Michael turned round and saw a large tiger-like creature looking towards them with little interest.
"I have run a low level telepathic scan, and it appears not to be overly hostile," Mirt pronounced with the nearest equivalent to relief found in machines. The creature was lying down in a manner similar to that of a domestic cat, and regarded them with the haughty stare of a malevolent moggy that had had the proverbial cream.
"Could you zap it with a laser or something?" Michael whispered back, nervously.
"Query 'zap it with a laser': My function is not one of destruction. Query 'wisdom of': interfering with potentially dangerous, but as yet non-hostile creature," Mirt said, his speech routines reverting temporarily, but since he partly communicated on a telepathic level Michael understood the gist of what he said. "Suggestion: leave vicinity with minimum of vocal and audible disturbance, without abrupt movement. Power levels not sufficiently restored for inter-reality travel."
Michael crept slowly away into the foliage, before speeding up his pace after getting away. He pushed through the brush, his heart in his throat, as he contemplated seeing the beautiful majesty and danger of a feline beauty in this strange world.

     After a bit, Michael slowed down, and allowed himself to catch his breath. The trees and bushes surrounded him on all sides and very little sunlight penetrated the forest floor. The wood appeared to be closing in on him. The light would change unexpectedly when there wasn’t any wind. Michael pushed forward though the foliage. Unexpectedly, the vegetation thinned out and cleared, and Michael found a massive monument looming up in front of him. The large building had the appearance of an abandoned temple. Intricate designs were carved into the yellow, clearly cut, stones that the stepped pyramid was constructed of. In the middle of each side a staircase led upwards towards the top. The temple stretched upwards above the canopy of trees.
"Wow!" breathed Michael in admiration and wonder. However, Mirt was experiencing what in humans might be called fear.
"My circuits are detecting complicated interference patterns. I am unable to scan the surroundings to my fullest extent, although I would be able to allow us to jump realities," Mirt said. His voice was the same as it always was, being unable to convey feelings, but Michael picked up the feeling of unease.
"Well, let’s find out what it is then that’s stopping you from working," Michael said, although he now also felt the slightly paranoid feeling of someone or something watching or lurking.
     Michael ascended up the steps cautiously. The background noise of the jungle seemed to have hushed. A breeze whipped up and Michael felt cool, whereas before he had been hot in his clothes that he had been wearing in the cold harsh mist back home. He looked down at the engraved carvings on the rock. They twisted and curled in front of his eyes. Mirt beeped.
"I seem to be able to detect an inter-real disturbance. I should probably correct it, since they are slightly dangerous natural phenomena and could be the source of interference. They are capable of causing small temporal paradoxes, er... time problems," Mirt said. Michael looked down at the engraved carvings on the rock. They twisted and curled in front of his eyes. Mirt beeped.
"Ah, I’ve just noticed a trans-dimension disruption. It would be beneficial to correct it, because they are marginally harmful. They are capable of causing minor time problems. I have now corrected..." Mirt stopped. Michael got a slight feeling of deja vu as the patterns rearranged themselves. There was now a small crevice in the rock. Michael pulled the torch from his pocket and switched it on.
"Let’s go in," Michael said as he clambered into the temple.
 Michael dropped down onto a ledge underneath and swung the torch around. A long passageway led downwards into the pyramid. Mirt made strange electronic noises.
"The interference has not diminished. Also, the revelation of the entrance through dimensional correction would indicate a sophisticated level of technology. However, no other sign can be seen," Mirt said. Michael walked forward, Mirt in hand, downwards and inwards into the murky gloom of the temple. Michael wondered vaguely whether there might be traps as he thought back to adventure stories he had read, but tried not to dwell on the thought. The tunnel widened out and came to a large room. Michael stepped in, and as they did so there was a grinding sound as the exit disappeared behind a wall of rock. The grinding sound continued as the walls began to close in on Michael and Mirt!